Fire basket or patio fireplace?

In general, a fire basket is more compact in size, making it more suitable for a small garden. A fire pit is also 'open', so the warmth of the fire shines around it. A garden fireplace usually has an opening on one side, just like a stove. That is why this type of patio fireplace is also called terrace stove. The garden fireplaces, fire bowls and fire pits from Frank's range are from different brands, such as Esschert Design and OutTrade.

Which type of wood is suitable for heating?

If you are in possession of a patio fireplace, garden stove or fire bowl, it is important that you use the right materials to light a fire. Not all types of wood are suitable. In addition, it is good to know that you can not put paint, lacquered or stained wood in your stove, because this gives a lot of pollution and it is bad for the environment.

Suitable wood species

In order for wood to burn properly, it must be well-ventilated for a long time. Depending on the type of wood this can be 1 year to 2.5 years. For example, pine wood dries fairly quickly and has a drying time of 1 year, while oak should be dry for at least 2 to 2.5 years. Below we have listed the advantages and disadvantages of suitable wood species for you.

• Ash wood | beautiful flames, slow combustion, good heat
• Birch wood | rapid combustion, very clean combustion so little pollution in flue
• Oak | moving, crackling flames, slow burning and burning very long, little smoke
• Alder wood | suitable for soapstone stoves, quickly gives off heat, burn faster than oak and ash wood
• Pinewood |rapid combustion, only suitable in a stove, high risk of sparks, high heat of combustion
• Softwood | rapid combustion, good heat, due to resin chance of sparks. Not suitable for open fire due to flying out sparks
• Hardwood | fire nice, but gives little heat
• Briquettes (pressed wood shavings and wood fibers) | long burning time, high efficiency